How to Setup an Ecommerce Website that Sells

More than anything, an ecommerce website’s number one goal is to sell. But it’s far from achievable with bad web design. After all, the way to a customer’s heart is through a good website experience.

The process may take a lot of work – from planning, building, to promoting. But it shouldn’t be complicated.

Follow these steps to cultivate a delightful shopping experience that will earn you the moolah.

8 Steps to a Profitable Ecommerce Website

Use easy navigation style

You may have top-of-the-line products and services, but can your customers easily find them?

They'll be all for naught if you have bad navigation. This will only get your visitors frustrated and abandon your website altogether. You don’t want to wave goodbye to potential conversions and sales, do you?

Your navigation style should easily get customers from point A to B. This drives them to engage longer with your website and click that Buy Now button.

Image source: skinnyties.com

Here are the best practices to keep user-friendly website navigation:

Streamline your navigation menu

Keep it visible and clutter-free.

Also, avoid long dropdowns for your sub-menu. This distracts customers and makes it hard for them to figure out where to go next.

Use negative space wisely

Leave plenty of negative or white space between your site elements. This gives your website a clean and pleasant look.

Don’t go overboard

Creativity is great when building your ecommerce website. But it can go out of hand and ruin good user experience. To avoid this pitfall, always remember your target audience in mind.

Make use of the footer

The footer marks the end of your web pages, directing users where to go next. This makes it easy for your visitors to go to another page without having to scroll back up.

Optimise your website for mobile

Responsive web design is now the standard, especially for ecommerce. A lot of people use their mobile devices for shopping — 49% of consumers do. So, make sure your website responds well to mobile devices.

Create a comprehensive FAQ page

Improve customer experience with a comprehensive yet digestible FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. It helps them when they’re deciding on a purchase.

Your FAQ page should include quick information on how your ecommerce website works. Provide valuable and relevant content, such as shipping and billing process, refund, waiting period, and return policy.

Image source: blackmilkclothing.com

Create a comprehensive FAQ page with these tips:

Wear your customers’ shoes

Identify what your customers’ concerns would be once they land on and browse your website. Then provide the most accurate answers to them.

Add benefits

Add points on how customers can benefit from each FAQ. This value offer gives them more reason to buy your product or service.

Use easy-to-read format

Customers love to scan — they want quick information. Make your content easy to consume by using bullets to break down points. Keep your copy also as short as possible.

Categorise FAQs

This lets customers figure out where to go if they have a specific question in mind. Look at Black Milk’s FAQ above and see how they categorised their FAQs.

Double-check information

One mistake can break your customer’s trust in a snap. Keep information accurate and aligned with what’s on your website. This, especially if you’re talking about technical stuff.

Write compelling product descriptions

In its core, the product description should discuss the value your product brings to your customers. It should include valuable information like features, functionalities, and benefits.

But don’t overdo it by making your copy long and boring. Your product descriptions should be short yet catchy. Something that instantly sparks customer interest.

Image source: everlane.com

What makes a compelling product description?

Appeals to your target audience

Make use of your target audience’s unique interests and pain points. This makes your product description more personalised and relatable. In return, visitors will most likely buy your product.

Highlights the product value

Your customers want immediate assurance of why they should buy your product. They want to know how they can benefit from it. Make a list of each feature with their corresponding benefits.

Specific and engaging copy

Avoid vague descriptions. For example, instead of using “high-quality material”, you can say “100% authentic leather”. Use action and sensory words to stimulate customers’ emotions.

Easy to read

Beefed-up text is such a pain in the eyes. It’s boring too. Break down your points using bullets and keep them as short as possible.

Use high quality, realistic photos

Customers hate it the most when they’re deceived. Surely, you can relate.

Make sure they get what they see. Use realistic photos of your products.

Get them in high quality, too. Not only do high-quality photos grab customers’ attention — they give a crystal-clear image of your product.

If you're taking the photos yourself, consider angle, background, and lighting a lot. If done well, they can do magic to making your photos look professional.

Image source: sisuguard.com

Here are quick tips to shoot pro product photos:

Invest on a flexible tripod: This makes angle adjustments easy. Play around with angle to get the best perspective.

Use a sweep: A sweep is a plain piece of paper or cloth that creates a seamless background, giving your photo a cleaner look.

Use appropriate lighting: There are two types of lighting – artificial and natural light. Artificial lighting is best for showing details of your product, like jewellery and gadgets. Meanwhile, natural light is best for shooting products that are mostly used outdoors.

Use a reflector card: This is best if you’re shooting in a space with insufficient lighting. It helps you improve exposure and shadowing.

Evaluate your pictures: Don’t settle for an “okay” photo. Identify what’s working and what’s not. Then take it again to apply corrections.

Offer various payment options

Payment methods matter a lot to your ecommerce website’s success. After all, this is what finalises a customer’s purchase.

But limited payment options hinder customers to complete a purchase. Think of their preferences. Some may find it easy to use a credit or debit card, while others may prefer using Paypal or other payment gateways. Some may even want a cash-on-delivery option.

Partner with various payment gateways that are credible and trusted by the public. But keep in mind what works best for you as well. If your business operates locally, get local partners.

Image source: shopdressup.com

Ensure security with an SSL certificate

Having your data stolen is the worst thing ever. And like all of us, your customers want to avoid such a nightmare.

No wonder they now demand more online security when they use websites. This crucially applies with your ecommerce website, as it processes sensitive information, like bank account details for billing.

With an SSL certificate, you gain customer trust big time. It’s an online security protocol that secures shared information between your server and your user’s browser. This protects all the sensitive information that goes through your site.

See those padlock and “Connection is secure” notification that show up when you visit a website? That means the website offers safe browsing — and your information is safe.

Image source: ebay.com

Monitor your website performance

Know what went wrong and what went well. This way, you’ll know what to improve and to maintain. From there, develop new effective strategies to boost your conversions and sales.

Track your ecommerce website’s performance using an analytics tool, like Google Analytics. It gives you significant insights on customer behaviour, such as customer interests, pain points, and attention span.

Get the right web hosting package

Choosing the right web hosting package for your ecommerce is a big deal. Because landing with a bad one can cause downtime and loss in sales.

Get hosting services that speed up website performance and loading time. You don’t want your visitors to wait long enough for them to leave.

Grow your ecommerce business in no time

Capture people’s hearts by giving them the best online shopping experience. This is the ultimate target of this guide. When you give them a pleasant experience, they’ll pay you back tenfold. Pun intended.